The present invention relates to a machine for dispensing food products, such as popcorn, of the type which processes the products in a microwave oven before supplying them. This machine includes a housing inside which is mounted a microwave oven, means for storing the products, means for feeding said products to the microwave oven, a device for controlling cooking of the products, and means for expelling the products from the oven.
Known in the art, for example from Spanish patent application 9501495, upon which the preamble of claim 1 is based, are dispensing machines for food products which heat the products in a microwave oven before supplying them to the user.
These machines, though satisfactory in terms of their operation and the performance they offer, nevertheless have the disadvantage of not being very compact and of taking up a considerable amount of space, so that they cannot be installed in relatively small spaces.
This disadvantage is due to the complexity of the oven storage and loading/unloading mechanisms, which also make the cost of the machine relatively high.
WO-91/12597, which forms the basis for the preamble of claim 1, discloses a food dispenser with storage means, a conveyor band for the products and a microwave oven.
GB-2284805 also discloses a food dispenser, in which a rotating microwave oven discharges the cooked product by gravity from an opening on its cylindrical side wall.
This invention aims to resolve the aforementioned disadvantages, providing a machine for dispensing food products that is more compact than other known machines and that is low in cost.
In accordance with this aim, the machine for dispensing food products of the invention is as claimed in claim 1.
These characteristics allow the machine to be compact in structure, with much lower space occupation than in the prior art; moreover, simplification of the system for feeding and unloading the products reduces the cost of the materials and of the assembly of the machine.
Furthermore, these advantages are obtained without detriment to the reliability and versatility of the machine.
Expulsion of the product by tilting down the oven bottom simplifies still further the structure and fitting of the various mechanisms in the machine.
Preferably, the means of storage of the products are made up of a number of storage devices mounted on at least one frame articulated to the housing and provided with means for extracting the products through an outlet opening, said outlet opening being situated above the horizontal section of the band.
The articulated frame permits the storage devices to be placed in a favourable position for optimum distribution of the space available inside the housing, while at the same time permitting access to the oven and to the other mechanisms for the maintenance operations.
According to one particularly advantageous embodiment, each one of the storage devices includes a tape which forms a loop with its branches in vertical direction and to which are attached a plurality of plates between which the products are placed, the device being enclosed by a housing on which said outlet opening is provided.
This structure of the storage devices allows practically the entire height of the machine to be used for storage of the products.
In combination with this construction of the storage devices, the means for extraction of the products can include an inclined ramp in coincidence with the outlet opening.
Extraction of the products and supply thereof to the band is therefore implemented by a simple and reliable mechanism, which at the same time is of very low cost.
In an alternative embodiment, each of said storage devices comprises a vertical housing in which the products to be supplied are stacked, and said means of extraction of the products comprise a continuous belt with one or two associated thrust feet to push the top product from the stack through an outlet opening, while means are provided to raise the stack of products each time one of the products is supplied.
The means for raising the stack include in this case a vertical worm screw situated beside the housing, which is rotated in order to cause raising of a plate attached to the worm by means of an arm that passes through an elongate opening in the housing.
According to another alternative, each of said storage devices includes a vertical housing in which the products to be supplied are stacked, and in that said means for the extraction of products include a pair of spiral coils parallel to each other and inclined, which rotate in a synchronised manner to raise the products in horizontal position to reach an outlet opening through which they fall by gravity.
This embodiment is particularly suitable for very irregular products.
Advantageously, each frame is flat, with four of said storage devices mounted on it, two on either side, so that the two storage devices on one side of the frame are mounted on either side of the band, with their outlet openings facing each other.
With this configuration, each storage device discharges the corresponding product onto the band, without any need for other intermediate mechanisms.
In one embodiment of the invention, beneath the horizontal section of the conveyor band is mounted a weighing device, which permits secure detection of whether there is a product on the band.
Alternatively, the machine can include at least one detector to detect the fall of the product, and at least one detector to detect the entry of the product into the oven.
Preferably, the machine includes means for refrigerating at least one zone inside the housing. In this case, it is advisable that at least one of the frames includes thermal insulation means.
The interior of the housing is thus divided into a non-refrigerated zone, between the front door and the frame, in which popcorn or the like can be stored, and a refrigerated zone, behind the frame, for other products.
According to one variant, the conveyor band is made of paper and extends from a supply reel to a take-up reel; alternatively, it can be an endless band made of a plastic material.